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Three Trinity University Healthcare Alumni Named to 'Most Influential' List

Tennessee health system executive has appeared in magazine's ranking 11 times

SAN ANTONIO - Three graduates of Trinity University's Health Care Administration program have been named to Modern Healthcare's list of "100 Most Influential People in Healthcare." Alumnus Wayne Smith '72, president and chief executive officer of Community Health Systems in Franklin, Tenn., is one of only eight national healthcare leaders who have been included in all 11 of the magazine's annual rankings.

Other Trinity alumni included on the list were Joel Allison '73, president and chief executive officer of Baylor Health Care System in Dallas, and Douglas Hawthorne '69 '72, president and chief executive officer of Presbyterian Health Care Resources of Dallas.

Chief U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Roberts, who cast the deciding vote to uphold the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act earlier this year, was placed at the top of the list of influential health care leaders. Others are leaders in politics and business.

Listed at No. 25, Smith graduated from Auburn University with bachelor's and master's degrees. He later earned his Trinity degree in Health Care Administration and studied at the King's Fund College of Hospital Administration in London, England. Smith worked with Humana Inc. for 23 years in various executive positions. He has been a director of the American Association of Health Plans and was the 2003 Chairman of the Federation of America's Hospitals.

Allison, listed at No. 18, graduated from Baylor University in 1970 and earned his master's degree from the Trinity program in 1973. He has more than 30 years of experience in the field and joined the Baylor Health Care System in 1993. He was named president and CEO in 2000 after serving as Baylor's senior executive vice president and chief operating officer. Allison is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and serves on numerous state and local boards within the Texas region.

At No. 59, Hawthorne earned his bachelor's degree in business administration at Trinity in 1969 and his graduate degree in health care administration in 1972. He began his career as a resident at Dallas' Presbyterian Hospital and later joined its management team. In 1983, he was named president and CEO of Presbyterian Health Care of Dallas. Texas Health Resources, in Arlington, Texas, was formed in 1997 when Presbyterian Health Care Resources merged with Harris Methodist Health System, and Hawthorne was named president and CEO of this new entity. He is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, a recipient of that organization's prestigious Gold Medal Award, and a recipient of Texas Hospital Association's Collier Award. He is vice president of Trinity's Board of Trustees.

Begun in 1966, Trinity's Health Care Administration program was reaccredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME) earlier this year. The department has received continuous accreditation since 1969, the first year it was eligible, and this year's renewal is for seven years - the maximum time allowed - enabling the department to continue providing students a high quality educational experience that includes access to an extensive alumni network in 47 states and six foreign countries.